


Kingdoms Fall

by GayBeau



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fantasy AU, Fluff, Future Vision, On hiatus but not forgotten, Princess Sapphire - Freeform, Prophecies, Some characters don’t show up until later, Squire Ruby, Violence, healing spit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-01-05 04:04:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21207098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayBeau/pseuds/GayBeau
Summary: Princess Sapphire’s future vision starts acting up when the squire known as Ruby enters her life, and stops working entirely when she is attacked in the night.They quest to the Pink Kingdom to seek out Queen Steven’s healing powers, but soon discover that his abilities are limited to physical wounds. Can they work together to fix what’s broken? Will their feelings for each other be enough to get them through?





	1. Turnips and Turmoil

**Author's Note:**

> Art pieces for the series:
> 
> Chapter 4: https://red-s-art.tumblr.com/post/189144190636/kingdoms-fall-chapter-1-bobear-steven   
Misc: https://bilumiart.tumblr.com/post/189128461012/commission-for-bo-and-arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, welcome to my first multi-chapter fic. I’ve already written 8 chapters so you will be seeing more of this with updates every week (Updates on Sunday’s). Hope you enjoy!

Princess Sapphire lives a predictable, routine life within the walls of the Blue Kingdom. It’s not that life here is boring, it’s just that she always knows every detail of what’s about to happen. She’s not a typical human, you see. She’s of immortal blood, and this comes with certain perks. Ever since she was young, she could see two streams; her right eye seeing the world around her in the present, and her left eye showing her the future. It’s limited, only able to show her a few hours into the future at most, but it is enough to be a serious asset to the defence of her kingdom, and enough to ensure nothing ever, ever surprises her.

The throne room is silent as she enters, not even a sound of breathing came from the six guards that stand at attention. Each footstep against the stone floor sends echoes throughout the large chamber as she makes her way to take her seat beside the throne. She sits down, sighing and her mother enters, right as she predicted. 

“Morning, Sapphire. Will it be a good day?” Queen Blue asks in a soft voice, sending an air of calm through the room. 

Her mother’s empathetic projection, Sapphire notes, a power of her mothers that she has not managed to guard herself against despite how often she experiences it. She relaxes slightly into her seat, and can almost hear the exhale of the guards standing near her.

“Everything will go accordingly.” Sapphire responds, monotone. She’s been told to be more expressive by her mother and teachers, but she's seen how every interaction she has goes before it even happens. How can you be expressive when you have already processed and accepted every detail?

Her mother hums in response, settling into her own seat. Sapphire decides at this moment to tune out. She knows the routine. Her mother’s guards would bring people in one at a time, and they would grant favours, judge criminals, and welcome guests. Today was looking to be particularly boring, simply dealing with matters of trade and reports about stock. 

She took a moment to shut her present-seeing eye, and open her future one, curious to see if this day was the one where she finally dies of boredom. Sadly, however, it looks as if the only fate that awaits her is a stiff back. Not one interesting thing will happen over these next three hours.

Across the room, Sapphire hears a sound. It’s barely audible with the sound of discussion dominating the room, but she can’t help but notice how out of place it is. A soft rapping sound, like something tapping against metal, forming a short, repetitive beat. 

Sapphire parts her fringe. It’s long and thick enough to cover her eyes so that no one can tell which eye she is using, and because most people seem to find it unnerving to be around someone who is in a permanent wink. She takes in the surroundings of the room in present time, something she doesn’t often bother to do. 

Everything seems to look as it always does. The room is grand, and decorated in all shades of blue, just in case you forget which kingdom you’re in. Her mother is hunched slightly in her throne, but even with her poor posture one cannot deny the power she holds simply in her image. Below her stands two peasants, apparently exhibiting the quality of their turnips to the Queen. Six royal guards stand at attention with them in the hall; Navy and Eyeball stand at the base of the throne to protect the royals, Leggy and Army in the middle of the room to watch visitors, and Doc by the heavy doors at the opposite side of the room. That’s where she spots something interesting. 

Someone unfamiliar stood on the right side of the door. A woman with dark skin and thick brown hair. She wears primarily red leather armour, whilst the others in this room wear the classic colours of the kingdom. A squire, Sapphire notes. It’s typical for only Knights to wear blue in times of peace, while standard guards wore browns. Only Knights and the occasional squire can serve within the royal court like this.

Sapphire studies this new presence, and notices that unlike the rest of the soldiers who stay perfectly still, this one can’t seem to stop tapping her nails against her spear. A soft drumming pattern, changing slightly every few repetitions as if the woman can’t quite find the right beat. It’s hypnotic in a strange way. Sapphire can’t put her finger on it… 

A quiet but meaningful cough sounds from the Knight beside the squire, and the woman suddenly stops, her attention drawn to her superior. The Knight, who Sapphire recognises as Doc, jerks her head towards the Princess, and the squire turns the colour of her armour and she realises the princess is watching her. Sapphire watches curiously as the squire straightens up and stands stiff as a board, slowly going blue as she holds her breath, seemingly unwilling to breath lest she disturbs the silence again.

Odd, she hadn’t foreseen any sort of entertainment throughout this proceeding. Perhaps this simply wasn’t big enough to catch her mind’s eye. She lets her fringe fall back into place, and switches eyes once again, curious to see if a focus on the squire would produce any new insight. 

Nothing. Just stillness. Oh well, at least she got a moment’s interest out of the woman. 

Time to zone out, she decides, closing both of her eyes. She lets the silence of her mind wash over her.

The silence doesn’t last long, however, as a loud clanging sound echoing through the room brings her back to reality. 

“Sorry! Sorry!” She hears a woman’s voice. Sapphire opens her eyes to see the farmer’s turnips scattered across the floor. The squire fell to her knees, frantically scooping up the crops, face ablaze in a blush. Sapphire can almost feel the heat all the way across the room. 

Doc breaks from their place at the wall, marching to the woman’s side and dragging her to her feet. 

“Ruby, get your act together,” the Knight’s jaw locks and they growl sternly with their teeth bared. 

There is an unspoken conversation in the glare they dig into the squire, and Ruby takes a moment to process, taking a thick gulp. She puts on an awkward, apologetic smile and hands the turnips back to the peasant, collecting her fallen spear. 

“Uh, sorry,” Ruby laughs nervously as she rubs the back of her head, backing up slowly to her original position. She stops a little too late, and the buckles of her armour clang against the wall as she walks into it.

The silence in the room was heavy as the doors closed behind the peasant. Sapphire’s mouth is agape and eyes wide, unable to process what had just transpired. Had her future vision been wrong?

It appears she isn’t the only one to have that thought. When she finally manages to tear her eyes away from the squire, her eyes fall on her Queen. She had expected Blue to be glaring at the disturbance, but instead her eyes fell on Sapphire, a look of perhaps even more shock than the one she herself had been wearing.

“I think we’ve had enough for today,” Blue says when she manages to regain some composure. “Thank you, guards, you are dismissed.” 

Sapphire doesn’t need her future vision to see what’s going to happen next.

***

“What was that?” While Blue uses a demanding tone, the pleading in her soft voice is clear. “Were you attempting to mock me in front of my Knights? You should have the foresight to know that I wouldn’t take kindly to that.”

They now stand in Sapphire’s bedroom. Sapphire sits in her seat next to her desk, which houses her proud collection of the best quality quills and parchment in the kingdom. Her mother is pacing the floor at the base of her king sized bed, occasionally stopping to fidget with the straps and curtains. 

“I didn’t see that happening,” Sapphire states plainly. She attempts to keep her calm persona, but for the first time in her life, she had been taken off guard. Her voice shakes despite her best attempts to hide it. “I saw the court going without a hitch, for at least another hour. I don’t know why the future changed.”

Blue nods bitterly. She must know her daughter is telling the truth. Sapphire had not once told a lie in regards to her future vision. How could she? The future was fact, any lies could be disproven. “Sapphire, you know that the future cannot change. Perhaps you are getting ill?”

“I’ve been ill before and still perfectly capable of reading the future,” Sapphire points out. “Maybe I just have something in my eye?” 

“Perhaps if you cut your fringe you wouldn’t get hair in them,” Blue considers for a moment. A calming wave surges out of her, meant for Sapphire as much as for herself. “Right, well, mustn’t stress too much. You should wash up, check your eyes, get a good rest, and I’m sure it’ll all be better in the morning.”

Before Sapphire can get another word in, the Queen is out the door, leaving Sapphire to ponder in silence. There definitely wasn’t anything in her eye, and nothing like this had ever happened before. 

For the first time in her life, Sapphire is unsure of what the future holds.

***

Ruby sits with a whetstone in one hand and her short sword in the other. She’s supposed to be performing maintenance on her weapon, but her leg bounces with such speed and force that it threatens to drill a hole into the ground, racing at the speed of her spiralling thoughts. 

Great job, Ruby. First day in the presence of royalty and you blew it. She grits her teeth. How am I supposed to make it as a Knight now?

She stands, letting her body take over. She has too many thoughts and feelings within her to make sense of, and when she gets like this she often at times like these, it feels as if her body isn’t her own. Ruby relinquishes control, letting it take her wherever it may.

Down the halls and up the stairs, her fist pulsing in a clenched fist and teeth grinding as she lets her thoughts consume her. 

_ Stupid _ , she scolds herself. _ Stupid, stupid, stupid! _

Ruby doesn’t immediately notice as she treks into unexplored territory of the castle. She’s seen most of these halls by now, only that mysterious part of the dungeon remaining, and she’s pretty happy without knowing what’s down there.

Soft snoring and gentle clangs of armor echo from ahead, drawing Ruby from her thoughts. She realises what lies ahead the way she’s going, the private rooms of the royals and their guests. She slows as she peers around the corner. Leggy, a Knight whose nickname was inspired from a leg shaped scar on her leg, had seemingly fallen asleep at her post at the beginning of a hallway. 

_ Well, if Leggy can become a Knight, I guess there’s still hope for me. _, Ruby sighs to herself. 

A door creaks open further down the hallway, and Ruby freezes in place as she sees the Princess emerge from her room. Adorning a beautiful blue gown that flows behind her, and a leather bound book hugged to her chest. Ruby suddenly forgets how to breathe. Fear of being caught, she thinks. Definitely not anything else. 

Sapphire pays the snoring guard no mind as she makes her way down the hall. It isn’t until they’re standing a foot apart that Sapphire seems to finally notice the squire, and her surprise sends her tumbling to the floor, her book flying across the floor.

“Ah! Sorry, your Clarity, I-” Ruby shoots forward to help the princess return to her feet, offering a hand.

Sapphire parts her fringe to look up at the squire, her right eye wide as she looks up with curiosity and wonder. She takes no notice of the hand at all, focusing all her attention on searching Ruby’s eyes, making the squire stiffen.

“I did not foresee this,” she says, but her voice is almost questioning. She doesn’t appear to be angry, thankfully, but Ruby’s not sure what to make of such a reaction. The two simply stare at each other, unable to find words.

Leggy rushes over, apparently awoken by the commotion, and lifts Sapphire to her feet and placing the book back in her hands. “I’m sorry, your highness, I will escort the squire out of here immediately,” she says, sweating nervously.

“That won’t be necessary,” Sapphire says as she pats down the backside of her gown. “You’re excused for the night, Leggy, thank you.” 

Leggy gulps, but steps back and bows. “Your clarity.”

The Knight takes her leave, and Ruby is left standing awkwardly before the royal, unsure quite what to do. She rubs her forearm and lets her eyes fall to the floor. “I’m really sorry about earlier in the throne room, and for now. I didn’t mean-”

“It’s ok,” Sapphire says. “None of it ideal, of course. The issue was that it surprised me.”

Ruby furrows her brow. “I thought you couldn’t be surprised?” 

“So did I,” Sapphire nods. “I’m going to go back to my room and… consider this. Would you mind taking over the rest of Leggy’s shift?”

All of Ruby’s anxieties evaporate at the request, the sudden trust warming her. “Oh, yes, of course!” She tries to hide her excitement and put on a professional facade as she makes her way over to the post, taking her seat with perfect posture.

Sapphire lifts her hand to stifle a giggle, an act that makes Ruby’s stomach churn unexpectedly. It was so sweet and warm… something Ruby didn’t expect from the monotonous royal. 

Ruby watches out of the corner of her eye as the princess makes her way back to her room. Sapphire gives her a warm smile and a once over before she shuts the door. 

***

The princess places her book down on her desk, before she takes a seat at the edge of her bed. Swapping to her future seeing eye, she tries to focus on Ruby. She sees her remaining at her post for as long as her vision lets her see, but something is odd about it. It’s almost as if the image of the woman is blurred, uncertain.

Logically, Sapphire should be suspicious of this squire. She shows up, and suddenly her future vision becomes confused. But something about Ruby just feels so honest, that the princess can’t help but feel trusting of her. 

She flops back on her bed. While being unsure makes her uncomfortable, there’s something about this experience that feels exciting in a way. Being surprised by Ruby’s appearance was almost fun, and her changes in plans made her feel free. It’s not a feeling she’s necessarily happy with, but she acknowledges it’s there. 

After some time considering today’s events, her thoughts no clearer, she notes the pleasantly cool air drifting in and the darkness settling outside. She changes into her nightgown and leaves the window slightly ajar before climbing into bed, letting her thoughts quiet as she dozes off. 

It’s not often that Sapphire forgets to check her future vision before bed. 

She wakes hours into the night by a heavy shiver running down her spine. Opening her right eye, she analyses her surroundings. The window is closed, her blankets have mostly fallen to her waist, so she pulls them up and gets herself comfortable again turning over to the side. 

Only after she shuts her eye again does it hit her that she had left that window open.

As soon as her eyes shoot open again, she feels a strong hand wrap around her mouth, preventing her from screaming for help and swiftly pulling her to the edge of the bed. Sapphire can’t see much in the dark, but she can hear the sound of a blade being drawn, and her instincts kick in.

Thanks to that second she had before the attacker got to her, she was alert enough to avoid their full grapple, and she drives her elbow backwards into her enemy’s stomach. Her strength isn’t nearly enough to combat the attacker fully, but the surprise makes their hand loosen just enough for Sapphire to let out a cry for help.

“Guard! Hel-” she calls out before being thrown off the bed. Air is forced from her lungs as she lands flat against the stone floor, a shadowy figure perching themselves on top of her. 

Her enemy is too fast, and the figure drives its blade down. In that second with her eyes wide open, her future is clear; her body lying on the floor, dead.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment telling me what you think! Also, if you want to make any requests feel free to hit me up at boboboyourboat.tumblr.com
> 
> Shout out to my proofreaders/betas thegayraccoon and tiny-firefox, you can find both of them on tumblr.


	2. Blind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by my hero thegayraccoon.tumblr.com

Ruby sits still. Everything about her as static as a statue made of stone, everything but her thoughts. Racing and picking apart today's events she feels the need for her body to move, to pace up and down the corridor, but she doesn't. She has a duty to guard the princess tonight. Ah, the princess…

And then she hears it. A faint scream echoes weakly in the hallway. Ruby bolts upright sprinting the few feet to the door and kicks it open, sword in hand, blood pumping. The princess had screamed, then the sound of struggle, something must be happening.

Someone was pinning the princess to the ground, about to drive a blade through her skull, but Ruby isn’t about to let that happen. She drops her sword and dives for the attacker, knocking the two of them into the nearby desk with a crash. Papers fly everywhere, and a book falls on her head, but she’s too pumped up to notice.

With the small amount of light now streaming in from the hallway torches, Ruby can see the figure. They were relatively short and thin, and completely white, even their clothes, hair and eyes. Looking at them sent a chill down Ruby’s spine, this was inhuman.

Her surprise gave the… thing… an opening, and it swung at Ruby’s throat. Thankfully, there was no practice behind the manoeuvre at all, and Ruby was able to use its momentum against it, swinging it around and crushing its arm against the stone wall. It’s blade cluttered to the ground, allowing the squire to grab it and use it to deliver a killing blow to her enemy. It goes limp in her arms as she breathes heavily, giving herself only a moment to breathe before bolting to her princess’s side.

“Your clarity?” She pleads. It’s too dark to make out the details of the scene, but it appears the princess is unmoving. 

Ruby leaps up, rushing around the room in a panic. “Uh… Where’s a candle? Please tell me there’s a candle!” She tosses decoration pieces to the side, spilling a jug of water across the desk and knocking a stool to the ground. After a moment of searching, she finds what she’s looking for in the pile of items knocked off of the desk from the earlier fight.

After lighting the candle, she kneels over Sapphire’s unconscious body. She’s alive and breathing, but what Ruby sees almost makes her vomit. 

Before she had managed to tackle the attacker off the princess, it had managed to stab down into the princess’s future seeing eye. It, and the surrounding area, is a mess. Sapphire must have fallen unconscious from the pain.

“Oh no,” she gulps, "...no, no, no,..." Thinking back to her training, she grabs a nearby blanket and applies pressure to the wound, praying that she’s doing it right. 

Ruby puts Sapphire’s head into her lap as she shakily attempts to wash the blood from her face as Doc, Leggy and the Queen run into the room. They must have heard the fight echo through the halls, because Doc and Leggy are geared up and ready for a fight. 

Everything becomes a bit of a blur after that, Ruby fails to process any of the surrounding noise, unable to tear her eyes off the princess. Her one job had been to keep Sapphire safe, and she had failed.

She’s completely numb as she is thrown to the side, then dragged away.

  


***

Sapphire wakes up in agony. Her whole body aches, but nothing comes close to the feeling of fire tearing through the left side of her face. She grits her teeth in order to stop herself from screaming as her right eye shoots open.

She was in a room that was not her own. Judging from the expensive furnishings but lack of personal belongings, she guesses she must be in one of the guest bedrooms. The sunlight streaming through from above indicates that it’s around midday. Standing over her is a physician, delicately dabbing at her forehead with a cloth. At the doorway stands Navy, one of the knights, who is keeping a vigilant guard. At the chair beside her, the Queen. 

Before she can even move, her mother jumps to her side, cradling her faces as gently as possible. 

“Sapphire, you’re awake!” She says with relief, causing Sapphire to feel a bit calmer. “I was so worried. Here, drink up, you must be parched.”

It takes Sapphire a great deal of effort to bring herself to her elbow and take a sip from the glass being offered to her, but it floods her with a sensation she feels she desperately needs. The cool liquid sliding down her throat relieves her of a thirst she didn’t know she had. 

The memories of what happened hit her all at once. 

“I’m not dead.” She notes in surprise. “I’m meant to be dead.”

“I’m sure that was their intention when they attacked you, but-” Blue begins, but is cut off quickly.

“No, I saw myself dying.” She says. “My future vision showed me as a corpse.”

The entire room stops. It feels as if the air has been sucked out, everyone freezing in response to her words. 

“What happened?” She asked.

“From what we can tell, an attacker must have come in through the window, if the squire is to be trusted.” Blue says. “She claims she didn’t know anything was happening until you screamed for help. She entered when the attacker was on top of you, and managed to get them off before they could… kill you.”

“It was Ruby, wasn't it?” Sapphire asks. Of course, it was. If her future vision were to be wrong it would be with Ruby again. But what could this mean? “Where is she?”

“Yes, that one. She’s currently in the dungeon. I couldn’t risk having her free if this was her doing. Looking at her, thinking that she may have done this to you… I had to send her far away.”

“I don’t think it’s her fault.” Sapphire considers as she speaks. She saw herself die, but she didn’t. “I think she saved my life.”

Her mother nods. “If you’re sure, then I will send for someone to release her shortly. Poor girl, I let my emotions get to me and sent her to the depths. Oh well. For now, let’s get you checked out.” 

The physician steps forward then, drawing her attention to the other side of the bed. “Your clarity. May I discuss with you as I inspect your wound?” He asks, fresh bandages in hand. She sits up and nods, and he continues, beginning to unwrap the bloodied bandages from around her head. “Your attacker has left you with deep damage to your left eye, slicing it open at the centre, and tearing across into your temple. The wound on your face will heal into a small scar, but I don’t think your eye can be healed by normal means.”

Sapphire’s stomach sinks with each new piece of information. “Wait, my future eye is permanently damaged?” For the first time in her life, true and utter panic sets in. She tries to switch eyes, but finds that her left eye is unresponsive. “I… I can’t see.” 

She leaps to her feet, which almost buckle underneath her, she feels weak but rushes to the mirror . Her hand instinctively comes up to meet her eye as she sees it in the mirror, and horror washes over her. Navy has to catch her as her knees give out.

“I can’t see the future.”

***

It has been hours since Ruby was left in the dungeon, and though the adrenaline had long since worn off, she still squirms and paces the length of the cell. 

She is in a part of the castle she doesn’t recognise, which can only mean she’s in the deepest parts of the dungeon. There is no light in here, and the air is cold. Ruby’s always been scared of this place, the Knights would tell her tales of the mysterious, dangerous woman who is to live out the rest of her days in here. Rumours have it, this woman was a ruthless killer with a thirst for blood that cannot be quenched. Even the Knights avoid this part of the dungeon. The stories Ruby’s heard does nothing to settle her blood.

It must have been Ruby’s five thousandth lap of the confined space when she hears a groaning echo from somewhere down the hallway. 

“You’ve been at this for hours, how have you not burned out yet?” A woman’s voice whined. 

Ruby backs up into the cell, blood drumming in her ears but ready to fight for her life. Are the stories true? Will this be her end? 

“Who's there?” She calls back.

“Doesn’t matter.” The woman responds, voice full of gloom. Looking closely, Ruby can almost make out the silhouette of someone in a cell across from her. The figure is hunched over, curling in on itself, unmoving. “Please just do me a favour, and shut up.” 

“Are you the one they always talk about? The murderer?” Ruby asks, abandoning any fear she might have had, curiosity winning the fight over any sensible reaction or thought that she might have possessed.

The woman sighs, but otherwise doesn’t dignify Ruby with a response. 

A door clicks open down the hallway, and the light of a torch casts violent shadows across the cells. With the aid of the small light, Ruby manages to catch a few details of the woman. The first thing she notices is the intense reaction she has to the light, immediately covering her eyes and shuffling as far back into the corner as she can manage. The second was the natural blue hair she has, something Ruby has only ever seen in the royal families. 

Before she can investigate any further, the Knight known as Army blocks off her line of sight. The soldier stands in front of Ruby’s cell and begins unlocking the door. 

“The Princess has defended your claim. The Queen sends her apologies. The two of them would like you to see you, if you would follow me.” 

Ruby sighs with relief, she can physically feel her body relaxing at the news. She smiles as she steps forward, nodding to the Knight to lead her away, sparing a pitying glance at the woman in the other cell. 

As soon as the door to the dungeons shuts behind them, Ruby opens her mouth to speak, but is quickly cut off by Army. “I know what you’re about to ask. Don’t. Spare yourself the trouble of thinking about that woman. All you need to know is that it’s safer for everyone that she be locked away in there.”

“Ominious…” Ruby says, but she gets the message and quickly moves on from that conversation point. “How is the Princess? She must be up?”

“She is fine, just shaken up. I hear she reacted badly to realising her future vision was lost.”

That cut Ruby deep. The Princess has lost her powers, all because Ruby was too slow to protect her. 

When the two of them enter the throne room, the other Knights are standing attentively before the two royals in their thrones, with a physician at Sapphire’s side. The first thing Ruby notices is the eyepatch covering the princess’s left eye. Guilt washes over her like a tidal wave, hard and leaving devastation in its wake.

“My Princess, I’m so sorry I failed you, if I had just been a second quicker-” She bursts out while dropping to one knee, unable to stop herself. She freezes as Doc gives a meaningful cough, and realises that the entire court is looking at her with disgust, save for the Princess, who simply looks surprised. 

“Has no one taught this squire how to behave?” The Queen glares.

Before anyone can apologise, Sapphire speaks up. “You didn’t fail me, Ruby. You saved my life,” She gives a comforting smile. 

Ruby beams, eyes unmoving from the Princess’s smile as she’s pulled back into the line by Army. 

An emotion cuts into her, a sudden seriousness and focus, and she realises that the Queen is using her ability to manipulate emotions to bring attention to the matter at hand. Ruby stands up taller, eyes dead ahead at the woman speaking. 

“There are a few matters we need to discuss. First, the attacker,” She begins. “Sapphire has already told me she didn’t know much, just that someone must have gotten through the window. Squire, do you have any details to add?” 

“They looked human, but completely white, even their eyes. Staring into them, it felt like they were completely void of all emotion. They also didn’t seem like they were built to be a soldier or an assassin, they had no technique and were pretty weak.” 

The Queen nods thoughtfully, and the physician takes some notes. “When we examined the body was white all over, even the blood. It’s clear that this thing was once human, perhaps a disease of some sort. We’ve never seen a case quite like it before though. Squire, after this, please stay behind so our physician can do some tests on you. 

“Now, the reason I asked all of you here. As you all are likely aware, Sapphire’s injury has caused her to lose her future vision. This ability is the greatest asset we have as a kingdom. We need it back. I have done some reading, and I believe I have a solution. There is a legend that if a power such as this is lost, then it can be healed with a kiss.”

The Queen doesn’t need to use her powers any longer, everyone’s attention undivided on her.

“Further details don’t really exist, but I’m confident that this is referring to the Pink Queen’s ability to heal with saliva. So I am sending her, along with the Knights, to seek out Queen Steven’s aid.”

“Ruby is invited to join also.” Sapphire sends a warm smile down to the squire.

The Queen shoots her daughter a look. “Sapphire, we discussed this. The squire is a loose cannon.” 

“My future vision showed me that I was to die, and she saved my life anyway. Don’t you think she is exactly the kind of guard I need?” Sapphire shoots back calmly. 

Ruby’s jaw slacks. “I’m sorry, I what?”

Blue sighs, relenting. “Squire," she was now looking directly into Ruby's eyes, "if anything at all happens to my daughter, I will have your head.”

Ruby gulps. 

“Now, you will all leave tomorrow morning before dawn,” The Queen continues. “You should do your best to remain inconspicuous until outside the city’s walls, we don’t need rumours and panic spreading. Prepare your things, rest well, and meet here at 3am tomorrow morning. Dismissed.”

The Knights bow in time, and Ruby catches on just a second too late, before dispersing. Ruby remains behind as requested. 

Blue and the physician discuss some notes at the throne, so Ruby is left to wait awkwardly in the center of the room. Sapphire heads towards the main doors, brushing past the squire as she does so. The princess pauses briefly to put a hand gently on Ruby's shoulder, whispering softly in her ear. “Thank you again for saving my life, Ruby.”

Ruby’s blush is like a raging fire, spreading through her whole body at the gentle touch. She laughs awkwardly and puffs out her chest instinctively. “Just doing my job!” She says. 

Sapphire giggles, then takes her leave. It takes every ounce of focus for Ruby not to turn around and watch her walk away.

“Oh dear, it looks like you have a fever!” The physician rushes to Ruby’s side, medical gear in tow. 

“What? N-No I just…” Ruby heats up even more, mortified at the sound of Sapphire giggling yet again behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this fic, I hope you're enjoying it so far! With next week's chapter we'll be jumping into the real action.
> 
> Please don't be shy about leaving a comment with any thoughts/feedback, and my ask box and messages are open at boboboyourboat.tumblr.com (Beware, though, my reblogs this week it will likely just be RWBY and She-Ra spoilers)


	3. The Journey Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My exams have finished! Hopefully this means I’ll have a lot more time to work on this fic as well as other stuff for the next few months. Woo!
> 
> Once again, huge thanks to my editor thegayraccoon on tumblr, they do a lot of work to make this as good as it is and they’re super rad!

Doc had offered to bring the horses to the front of the castle so that Sapphire wouldn’t have to walk, but she insists. She craves the chance she can get to explore the city by foot, something she hasn't done since..., well, ever. 

Her mother had argued that it’s unbecoming of a Princess to walk the streets, but a simple reminder that they are attempting to be inconspicuous manages to convince her. Albeit not being happy about it or without her doubts, the queen agrees to her daughters request. Plus a royal carriage or an expedition in full gear on horses leaving the castle in the dead of night may be suspicious, but not a simple group on foot. 

Sapphire rarely gets to leave the castle, and when she does, it’s never beyond the city walls, and always in a carriage. It may be dark out, but that doesn’t stop the Princess from enjoying the sights of her kingdom. In the moonlight, the dew on the plant life glows, and she can’t help but watch how the leaves dance in the breeze. Walking down towards the stables, a view of the port comes into sight, its glistening surface perhaps one of the most beautiful things Sapphire has ever seen. 

Her visits to the city have only ever been during the day, when the streets were overflowing with people, livestock and carts. She would smell freshly baked bread mixed with manure and smoke. It was always a tornado of sounds, smells and sights. Now, all she can hear are the crickets and distant sounds of cattle munching. 

Distracted by the beauty of it all, she doesn’t notice that her guards in front of her had stopped, causing her to bump into Ruby’s back.

“Sorry, princess!” The squire spins around, checking Sapphire hasn’t hurt her wound. 

“No, I’m sorry. I got distracted,” Sapphire says. “Why have we stopped?”

She doesn’t need an answer, she realises as soon as she asks. They’ve made it to the stables. 

A young boy walks out to greet them, four horses in tow. He hands them over to Doc, who gives the boy a shiny gold coin as a tip in return. “Thank you!” He says, grinning widely, showing off an incomplete set of teeth. Looking around the party, he seems to notice Sapphire, and drops his gaze immediately.

“Not a word of this to anyone,” Doc says.

The boy nods, then heads back into the stables. 

Sapphire doesn’t know much about horses, but she notes that these ones are particularly well groomed and healthy looking. Rubbing a hand down one of their necks, the hair almost seems silky. These are probably the best in the Kingdom. 

The horses are all saddled, and have bags with supplies attached to them. Navy, Leggy and Eyeball each take a horse and mount it. Ruby and Doc both offer Sapphire a hand in climbing onto her own. It’s been a while since she’s ridden a horse, and adjusting her long blue coat in the process proves to be difficult.

Once she settles, Ruby takes the lead of Sapphire’s horse and walks behind Doc and Army to the city’s Northern gates, heading away from the view of the sea to the south. They traverse through the quiet residential areas, a side to the kingdom Sapphire hasn’t had the chance to experience. She’s seen some of the upper class districts, but here there are wooden shakes that look ready to fall apart. It saddens her.

The gate itself is impressive. The wall surrounding the city must stand at least ten meters tall, adorning giant banners of the kingdom’s colour. It was built to be a solid line of defence to keep out Off Colours - bandits that bow to no queen and belong to no kingdom - but it would do well in standing against an army on the off chance the peace ever breaks.

Before they arrive, the gates begin to open. Sapphire watches as those guarding the position give the knights a respectful nod as they pass by, a wordless discussion. The gates close behind them as they pass through.

A cold wind hits Sapphire, along with the realisation that this is the farthest away from home she has ever gone, and the journey was only just beginning. She shivers.

“Would you like an overcoat, m’lady?” Ruby asks.

“Yes please, I didn’t realise how cold it would be out here.”

“Yeah, the walls tend to block most of the wind. Always gets colder when you leave,” Ruby says as she walks around to the side of the horse, taking out the warm overcoat from one of the bags. She offers it up to her princess with a warm smile. “It should get warmer soon, though. Dawn is only an hour away.”

Warmth wraps around her as she pulls the additional layer around her shoulders. 

The journey is going to be a long four days of hard travel, but she relaxes, realising she has such good soldiers taking care of her. And in spite of her inability to see the future now, she doesn't feel scared. On the contrary, she feels just that bit excited of what lies ahead. 

Heading north leads the party along the side of a river, and Sapphire tunes out her thoughts in favour of appreciating the sounds of the birds chirping and water flowing. After the sun rises she closes her eye and lets the beams of light warm her skin. 

She has always been told of the dangers beyond the walls, the Off-Colours and wild animals and treacherous landscapes, but she was never hold how beautiful and serene it is. If this was a trip done for leisure she would be stopping for a nap in the fields. 

Every hour or so, they pause for five minutes so the Princess can stretch, and her guards can rotate between walking and riding on horseback. After around five hours of this, her whole body aches, and she insists on walking the next few hours. 

Chatter amongst the group was interesting. This is the first time Sapphire has seen the Knights in a scenario where they’re allowed to relax and be themselves. She watches as Eyeball talks enthusiastically about the history of the land and the legends of mysterious artefacts. Army won’t stop talking about the upcoming tournament she’s jousting in. Navy and Leggy joke around, occasionally interrupted by Doc who reminds them of the serious nature of their journey. 

Ruby, she notices, doesn’t speak much. She is often referred to or commanded, but doesn’t insert herself into the conversation. There’s a distant, but serious look in her eyes as she rides. Occasionally, the loud sounds of an argument between the Knights will draw her out of it, and Sapphire and Ruby will share looks of amusement.

They don’t stop walking until the sun begins to set. Doc and Eyeball find a place to camp on the outskirts of the Purple Forest, and everyone begins to set up for the night. Navy and Eyeball tie up the horses and unpack the gear, Doc and Army prepare a fire (Doc finds dead wood on the ground while Army forces branches off their trunks), and Ruby works to set up the Princess’s bedroll. 

“Would you like my roll as well, your clarity?” Ruby asks. “I’m pretty alright sleeping against a tree, and you’re probably not used to sleeping on the ground.” 

“That’s very kind of you, but I will be OK,” Sapphire says. She was right in that she hadn’t done this before, but she would live. She’s tired, so sleep should come quickly.

Her guards are quick to set up the camp and cook their meals over the campfire. The Knights quickly seem to lose focus on protecting her, and relax into their usual selves, cracking jokes and annoying each other as they surround the flame for warmth. 

Ruby, though, seems to not want to take her eyes off her. Every so often, Sapphire would look over at the squire. She leans on a tree, using a twig as a toothpick as she bounces her leg with impatience. Every time Sapphire looks up, Ruby was staring down at her. And every time they make eye contact, Ruby looks away, suddenly very interested in the dirt at her feet.

Sapphire doesn’t know what to make of this behaviour, but it’s comforting and makes her feel a little less heavy. 

Once the Knights finish their meals, they’re quick to fall asleep. They leave Ruby on watch for the first two hours of the night. That makes Sapphire feel safe enough.

Snores from the others pick up moments after they hit the pillows, but the moment Sapphire lays down, she notices that she can feel every aching joint in her body and every bump in the ground below her. This is going to be far more uncomfortable than she anticipated. It’s not often that she tosses and turns, she’s good at being patient and keeping still. But tonight, she just can’t help it.

Sleep still doesn’t find her an hour into the night. She sits up, frustrated. She’s exhausted, drained physically, mentally and emotionally, how is she still awake?

“Doing OK, Princess?” Ruby prods at the embers of the fire with a stick. Her face glows red in the dull light. 

“You may have been right to offer me your bed roll, I’ve never been more physically uncomfortable,” Sapphire says as she rolls her shoulders.

“You can still take my roll if you’d like.”

Sapphire is about to ponder that thought when a sound cuts through the night silence of the night. The sharp ‘shwing’ of metal against metal. It’s hard to gauge how far off that sound comes from.

Ruby leaps to her feet and starts stamping out the remaining embers in the fire before Sapphire can even begin to process what could happen. It hits her that she’s never felt so defenceless, out in the dark woods with no future vision and no high walls. She freezes, unmoving as a stone.

Doc is awake within moments, Ruby covering her mouth to prevent her from making noise as she’s shaken awake. Together, the two of them wake the rest of the Knights.

A huddle forms protectively around the Princess as her guards discuss in quick whispers what to do. All of them have their swords at the ready, keeping watch in case they get jumped.

“There’s a chance that whatever’s out there isn’t dangerous, so I’m going to go out alone to scout around. The rest of you, don your armour, quietly,” Doc says with emphasis on the final word, glaring pointedly at Leggy. If Sapphire was a bit less stressed, she would probably make a mental note to ask what was the story behind that later. “Ruby, you’re the only one dressed so I expect you to stay at Sapphire’s side at all times until this is resolved. Unless I give the order, you are to remain on the defensive. Eyeball, you’re in charge until I return.”

A crunch of gravel underfoot echoes through the night, somewhere south of the campsite. It’s almost pitch black in their camp under the trees, but everyone’s eyes are adjusted to the darkness enough to make out Doc’s gestures to seperate.

The Knights creep off to their supplies to delicately start donning their armour. Ruby steps between Sapphire and the noise, her guard up. And Doc, still dressed in their nightwear, slinks towards the south. 

By the time it takes the party to prepare themselves, and it does take them the better half of fifteen minutes in order to do so quietly, no further sounds are heard and Doc has not returned. The Knights gather back around the unmoving Princess and wait.

It’s not long before they start to get fidgety. While they are professional soldiers of the highest tier, and half of their job is standing still for long periods of time, when it comes to real action most of them lack patience. The Blue Kingdom soldiers are taught to value emotion and instinct in combat, which Sapphire understands comes as an advantage at times, but she’s sure she can feel all their feet bouncing anxiously, and it doesn’t do much to settle her own nerves.

“That’s it, I’m going too,” Eyeball whispers decisively. Everyone’s movement stops in unison. “She could be in trouble. Army, you’re in charge.”

Army gives a solute, and Eyeball vanishes into the darkness. 

The bouncing starts again, and Sapphire is about to comment when the sound of metal clashing against metal sounds from the direction Eyeball had walked in, with the sound of a heavy grunt. Everyone goes still, except for Army, whose leg bouncing could probably drill through stone at this point. Sapphire briefly worries that the Knight might explode.

“Fighting?” Army wheezes. “Nope, not without me. I’m going in. Navy, you’re in charge now.”

Before anyone can protest or question, she disappears into the night, somehow not causing any noise as she rushes off. 

On occasion sounds of violence will drift through the woods, but there is no shouting or continuous scuffling. 

“What could be going on out there?” Sapphire asks. Her stomach sits in knots and the darkness around her rests heavy on her back, a feeling which seems to be getting worse the longer this continues.

“I don’t know, what do you think, Eyeball?” Leggy says. 

“Eyeball was the first to go after Doc, how have you forgotten?” Navy replies. 

“Oh, my bad.” Leggy says. “I’m going to go check if they need anything. You, Ruby and Army stay here and protect the Princess.”

Leggy shuffles off, heading south east rather than dead south as she should be going. Navy chases after her. “Wait no, Leggy, you’re not even going the right way!”

And then there were two.

Ruby sighs, resting her face in her palm. “How am I the lowest ranking?” She mumbles to herself. 

Closer to the camp than the last sounds, shouting erupts.

“Wh- Doc?” Navy says with alarm.

Thwack, something falls. Ruby tenses, readying her sword, and Sapphire grabs her arm. Ruby flinches, then turns to face her princess.

“Please don’t go after them.” Sapphire pleads. She can see the moment Ruby makes the decision in her eyes as she weighs her options in a split second. 

"Your Highness, I would never-"

“RUBY RU--” Navy calls out snapping Ruby out of the moment.

That is enough for Ruby, it seems, as the squire grabs the princess by the hand and bolts north dragging the princess along and leaving everything behind. Sapphire stumbles, falling to her knees. She tries to get back up, but her legs are heavy and non-functional as if they’ve been turned to ice.

“I- My legs aren’t working.” Sapphire says, ditching the whisper. She can’t help but notice how her words sound so much louder in the silence of the night, making her cringe.

Ruby doesn’t hesitate in sheathing her sword in favour of scooping the princess up off her feet and into a bridal carry. It’s effortless, as if Sapphire is as light as a feather. The squire runs as fast as she can in the darkness, only tripping occasionally on roots and uneven ground. Sapphire can’t help but cling close to the woman carrying her, and pray that whatever was out there isn’t as fast as her protector.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk about y’all but I’m excited for the next chapter.
> 
> Let me know what you think of the fic so far, and tell me in the comments who your favourite Knight/Ruby is. Mine is Army, I too want to fight constantly.
> 
> As always, my ask box/messages is always open on boboboyourboat.tumblr.com, so come say hi or make a request. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, you’re awesome!


	4. Alone Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to my proofreader/betas thegayraccoon and tiny-firefox on tumblr. They’re both rad, you should check them out.
> 
> Tiny-firefox drew some art for this chapter! Check it out here: https://red-s-art.tumblr.com/post/189144190636/kingdoms-fall-chapter-1-bobear-steven

Ruby has been running for so long, she almost forgets what she’s running from. Her focus is razor sharp, concentrating entirely on the path before her and any obstacles approaching. Protecting the shivering princess curled up in her arms is now the only thing that matters. On the odd occasion, she’ll feel the weight of her armour and the stress on her legs, and be drawn back into the moment. When that happens, she’ll take in their surroundings, adjust her course slightly to ensure she’s not following an obvious path, and check in on the woman in her arms. If all is as it should be, considering the mess they are in, only then she goes back to hyper focusing. Because if she doesn’t, the anxious thoughts will consume her.

It’s not until the Princess speaks up that she slows down. “I think you’ve lost them,” she says in her soothing voice, placing a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “We should take a break, I can feel your body trembling.”

Ruby nods, and begins to set the Princess down, slowly letting go of her legs to let her stand up, her arms ready to catch the princess in case her legs still won't listen. Though as she bends her knees to lower the princess, her legs give out. Her knees buckle and she falls forwards, Sapphire landing on her feet albeit a bit unsteady. Ruby lands on her stomach with a grunt. Sapphire steadies herself before checking on her saviour, seeing if she is alright. Ruby turns onto her back so she can breathe easier, releasing a defeated groan. 

“Thank you for getting me out of there, Ruby. You did so well.” Sapphire says as she tries to help Ruby off the ground. But not all goes as planned, however well intended. She isn’t that physically strong and Ruby is in full armor after all. The moment Sapphire pulls to heave the squire up she slips, landing right on top of Ruby just shy of knocking the breath she barely just got back out of her.

Sapphire apologises quickly but Ruby gives her back a shy smile of reassurance that she is ok. “Thank you for not letting me run to my death and leave you alone,” Ruby replies with a blush. “I am sorry for that, I can be a little impulsive and reckless.” The brown haired woman tries to sit up, but now that the adrenaline is leaving her body, her muscles aren’t having it. Plus the princess now on top of her isn't making it any easier. At least her feeble attempt makes Sapphire giggle. It doesn’t matter that the holster is sitting at a horrible angle which leaves the hilt of her sword digging into her side, this exact position is her home now.

Sapphire apologises once more before scooting to the side, her head now resting on Ruby's shoulder. She finally gets a good look at the surroundings. It was still dark, they probably have another few hours before the sun will start to rise, and yet the two of them haven’t slept in about twenty four hours. She looks at Ruby and their eyes meet in silent understanding.

Ruby takes another moment to asses the situation. They were in a pretty thick part of the forest with a nest of bushes around. Ideally, the two of them would climb a tree and rest at a safe height, but she’s pretty sure her body isn’t up for that. And has Sapphire even touched a tree before? There’s not many of those in their port city. The ground will have to do.

“You should rest,” Sapphire says, looking at the woman panting next to her.

“No, you can sleep first, I-I’m fine,” Ruby says holding back a yawn. Her eyes are already beginning to droop. Curse her treacherous body. 

“Let me help you get a bit more comfortable,” Sapphire offers as she starts unbuckling the squire’s holster and larger armour pieces. 

Ruby’s body is hopeless in resisting her, so all she can do is make noises of disapproval. “No, what kind of guard would I be if I made you stay on watch?”

“Are you planning on staying awake the whole journey to Pink’s Kingdom?” Sapphire raises an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“Don't be ridiculous. You’ll burn yourself out.”

“I am an eternal flame,” Ruby mumbles defiantly as her body betrays her, and she falls asleep involuntarily.

***

When she wakes again, the sun has risen. The birds are singing and the cicadas are chirping. Long, dewey grass tickles her cheek. 

She stretches and the pains in her muscles bring her crashing back to reality. Leaping up, her eyes dart about the trees. Sapphire is sitting a meter away with Ruby’s sheathed sword in her lap, and there doesn’t appear to be any immediate danger. She sighs with relief.

“Are you feeling better?” Sapphire asks without looking up.

“Y-yeah. I mean, I can move now,” She replies, stretching her neck with a satisfying click. “You should take some time to sleep now that I’m up.”

“I think we should make the most of the daylight we have left,” Sapphire says as she stands, offering the sword back to Ruby.

Ruby nods, but doesn’t take the sword. “Actually, I prefer to fight with my hands. Would you like to hold on to that? I’d feel better knowing you have a way to protect yourself.”

Sapphire looks at the brunette, then down at the sword. “I don’t know how to use it.”

“Pointy end goes in the bad guys,” Ruby smiles. Sapphire nods, and wraps her arms around the sheath, holding it as if it’s something delicate.

Looking around, Ruby’s not actually too sure where she is. They had been following the path alongside the river previously, but now there was no sound of running water nearby. She knows which way they had come from, but she can’t be sure continuing was going to lead them the right way. Presumably, if they make their way west they could meet with the path again.

“The journey’s going to take a little longer without horses, and we’re going to have to be a bit more stealthy about this,” Ruby begins. “I don’t know what happened back there, but if there’s a chance someone’s after you, we need to be cautious. We’ll find the path, but stay off it.”

“Are we going to be able to make it to Pink without our supplies?” 

“We’ll have to live a bit rough, but we can handle it,” Ruby grins as she punches one hand into the palm of her other. She’s always wanted to test her survival skills for real, without one of the Knights looming over her shoulder. Maybe she’ll keep that to herself, though. 

And off they go, following an unsure sense of direction through the woods towards their goal. At first, Ruby was excitable. She runs circles around Sapphire, then runs off ahead to scout or search for food. That soon deteriorates though, as anxiety rears its head, and all of her energy is redirected to spiralling thoughts. 

_ I’m just a squire, there’s no way I’ll be able to keep the Princess safe and happy alone, _ she thinks. _ I should have died back there and given Sapphire a hope in making it to Pink. _

“Something is troubling you,” Sapphire notes.

Ruby almost jumps out of her skin. She had basically been on a whole other planet. 

“W-what? No! I’m fine, we’re fine!” Her mouth says one thing, but she can feel the sweat beading as she forces the lie. Ruby has many talents, but acting is not one of them. 

“You’re very emotive,” Sapphire says, closing the distance between the two and putting a gentle hand on the squire’s shoulder. They turn to one another, stopping their march.

“For someone so unpredictable, you are very easy to read.”

Heat spreads across Ruby’s face, and fighting it only makes it stronger. “I-I,” She begins with a stutter, but can’t seem to formulate an excuse. 

Sapphire giggles. “It’s alright, my warrior, you’ve saved me twice in the brief time we’ve known each other. Please understand that you have my full confidence, and I’m glad that of all the Knights, I was left with you,” Her hand slides down Ruby’s shoulder to hold her hand.

Ruby didn’t know it was possible to turn this shade of red. If she were to hold an unlit torch to her face she is certain it would light on contact. There was so much to process from what the princess has just said, but the only thoughts in her brain were different variations of screaming. It’s like she was falling off a cliff, trying to grasp something to stop her fall. _ My warrior… MY warrior. _ A thought zooms by. S _ he believes in me? _ Goes another. _ I’m her favourite Knight? _Comes and goes. One thought finally sticks. “I’m not a Knight,” She says simply.

“With your recent acts of bravery, I’m sure it won’t be long.”

“But I’m only nineteen.”

“Honour doesn’t come with an age restriction in my books,” she smiles, letting the squire’s hand go to begin walking again.

“I will talk to mother when we return home. I’m sure I could get her to understand.”

Ruby decides to stay behind Sapphire as they continue their walk, she would kick herself if she let the princess see how joyous she is right now. Plus, she has a lot of feelings and thoughts to work through without an apparent mind reader analysing her.

***

They travel until early evening, when Sapphire starts to become overwhelmed by exhaustion. She’s stubborn though, and much better at hiding her thoughts and feelings than Ruby, so it takes the squire a while to realise that it’s time to call it a day. They got lucky and stumbled upon a small stream shortly before dark. Parched from the days travel, they were glad to taste fresh water again.

Ruby refills her empty waterskin and feels some of her worries fade away. After she finds a good spot not far from the stream, they finally stop to rest for the day. Ruby leaves the Princess to rest on the trunk of a fallen tree and goes to gather enough firewood to last them through the night. It takes longer doing it alone and setting up without supplies or help, but she manages just as the sun sets. A campfire is set up, and lighting it isn’t a problem for Ruby, who carries a flint with her at all times. 

“Alright, that’s the easy part done. Now I need to go find us some f-,” Ruby says as she stands looking up, but she falls silent as she sees Sapphire raising the carcass of a rabbit toward her partner. It’s a mangled mess, but she can still make a meal of it. 

“Uhhh, where did you get that?”

“I killed it,” Sapphire beams, proudly raising the now bloodied blade for Ruby’s inspection.

“How?” Ruby asks, mouth agape. Sapphire hadn’t left her position on the tree, and usually it takes Ruby a while to find, let alone catch prey, especially with only a sword.

“Stabbed it with the pointy end,” Sapphire grins at her companion. 

Ruby takes the rabbit, deciding not to question it further, and begins to prepare their meal. She’s glad she gave the sword to the princess.

It’s some time before their meal is ready and Ruby gladly chomps into without a second thought, but Sapphire despite her hunger simply forces herself to nibble. It’s probably nothing like fancy food she’s used to, Ruby imagines.

“You have to eat, your highness. You’ll need it, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Ruby tries to encourage the princess to get some more food down before they go to sleep. Traveling on an empty stomach isn’t any fun. 

“Apologies, I hope you don’t think it’s that you’re a bad cook, I just have a lot on my mind,” Sapphire says, prodding at a chunk of meat. “I’ll get through it, slowly.”

“Is there something you wanna talk about?” Ruby asks before she can stop herself. It’s not exactly proper for a squire to ask a royal about their feelings.

Thankfully, Sapphire doesn’t seem to be bothered by Ruby’s mistake. She hums in thought. 

“I’m not sure it’s something I can talk out. It’s more like I need to relearn how to function. I’m just not used to this.” Ruby nods encouragingly, and Sapphire sighs before continuing, seemingly letting her feelings spill out. 

“And I’ve always wanted to experience the world as it is, unspoiled. Everyone always equates life to an adventure, but it feels more like a play script to me. I’ve been told tales of adventures and quests, they always sounded fun. I always kind of dreamed about this. But now… It’s just not what I imagined. I’m scared.”

Ruby plays with the grass, pulling at it as she thinks. 

“You’re allowed to be scared. Not knowing what comes next can be terrifying, but also exciting. I don’t think about the future too much, that can make me nervous, so instead I act in the moment. Sure there may be consequences, but it’s better than getting so scared that life just passes me by, you know? I don’t know, this probably isn’t super helpful.”

“No, it is. I haven’t really had anyone I could talk to so openly before. That alone helps.” Sapphire smiles at her, and she feels her insides melt.

Sapphire eats at a steadier pace after that as the pair sit in comfortable silence.

As the moon rises on the starry sky, the Princess’s eyes begin to droop. Ruby watches as the royal lowers herself, leaning her back against the log and wrapping her arms around her body for warmth. It isn’t long before she readjusts, turned to the side to curl into a ball and use the log as a pillow. That doesn’t appear to work either though and she tosses and turns five more times before sitting up, restless.

Ruby coughs awkwardly. “I uh, I could maybe make things a bit more comfortable?”

“How? We lost all our bedrolls and blankets last night,” Sapphire questions. 

She thinks briefly about how best to explain her idea, but decides she’s much better with actions than she is with words. Armour falls to the ground in a pile as she unbuckles the bulkier parts of her set, then she slides into place next to Sapphire, wrapping an arm around the other woman, pulling her closer. 

It’s stupid. Really, if Blue were to find out about a squire even thinking of touching the Princess, the Queen would surely have her head. At first, the princess flinches at the bold and unpredicted touch, but sinks into it fast. As they both settle down, she feels the freezing cold skin of Sapphire and her stiff muscles and realises this is probably just what she needs.

Sapphire seems to agree. She rests her head on the younger woman’s shoulder and presses against her body. 

“Wow, you’re really hot,” Sapphire mumbles, then pulls back suddenly. 

“I mean, heat wise. You’ve very warm. And comfortable.”

Ruby giggles, adjusting the two so they can lay comfortably. She can’t help but notice the way the two of them seem to fit together like puzzle pieces. “And you’re freezing cold. Let me warm you up and keep you comfy.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sapphire snuggles back into the other girl, humming happily. It takes her seconds to fall asleep.

Blue hair falls into Ruby’s face as the royal’s head tilts into her shoulder, and the squire is hit with a surge of magnificent smells. Despite the past two days of sweating and no chance to clean up properly, the powerful scents of her soaps hold up. And the sheer softness of the hair that tickles her cheek? Ruby feels like she might melt. 

Cuddling may have been an excellent idea for getting Sapphire to sleep, but it was going to do nothing at all to help the squire stay focused and alert.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all excited for the duo to reach the Pink Kingdom? I sure am. 
> 
> As always, I’d love to know your thoughts on how this fic is going. Feel free to leave a comment or a kudo, or even contact me on tumblr at boboboyourboat.tumblr.com, my ask is always open.


	5. Queen Steven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact! Apparently ‘BoBear’ translates to ‘fool’ in Portuguese, according to google translate. This feels fitting.

Sapphire wakes to find herself in the arms of a certain dozing squire. It seems that while she slept, Ruby must have drifted off and the two of them had slid off their log-pillow and curled up in a spooning position on the ground.

It’s warm in Ruby's arms. Almost enough to lull her back to sleep but the ground is hellishly uncomfortable thanks to the hard, uneven dirt. Sapphire notes that both of them asleep at the same time is dangerous, but she can’t help by feel warm and fuzzy inside.

And that scares her. 

She gently sits up, extricating herself from Ruby's embrace, clutching at the dress that feels all too tight around her chest. What’s happening to her? She was attacked, lost her eye, lost her power, was sent into the woods where she lost all but one of her guards, and here she is feeling happy? What’s wrong with her? 

While the unpredictability of life is an exciting and freeing feeling, it terrifies her. The comfort of the future all she’s ever known, and here she is in the most frightening situation, she has no idea how this is going to end. To make matters worse, she has started to develop some very confusing feelings and thoughts about her companion. Her companion who…

“Princess Sapphire?” Ruby’s voice was gentle. Sapphire hadn’t felt the girl stir beside her, but she was now sitting up next to her. 

Ruby slowly reaches a hand up and wipes a tear from the blue haired woman’s face. She didn’t realise she was crying until then.

She sniffs, turning her head away so Ruby doesn’t have to see her. “Sorry, I guess it’s all just catching up to me.”

“It’s alright, would you like to talk about it?” Ruby puts a hand on the other woman’s knee with a gentle squeeze. Then she seems to remember Sapphire’s royal status and removes her hand. “Sorry, that... was a reflex,” She says with a cough.

“Your touch is acceptable,” Sapphire says hesitantly. Her mother would surely disagree, but she doesn’t have to know. There aren’t any witnesses, so she can indulge in the reassurance for now. “But I need to know. What are you?”

“What am I?” Ruby doesn’t put her hand back, her arm pausing mid air in her confusion. “I’m a squire, I thought you knew that.”

“I mean, you’re different,” Sapphire turns to search the other woman’s eyes. “Whenever you were around before I lost my eye, you did something to my sight. You changed it.”

“H-how?” Ruby can’t seem to take the weight of Sapphire’s gaze, and shifts it down, concern present in her voice.

“I couldn’t see you falling over the turnip farmer. I couldn’t see running into you in the hallway. I couldn’t see you save my life when I lost my eye,” She lists off, her chest getting tight again. “I don’t understand, I always see exactly what’s going to happen, it never fails. Until you, that is.”

“I haven’t been trying to do anything,” Ruby looks her in the eye, her eyes wide and honest, like she’s pulling the curtains open on the windows to her soul. 

“It’s fine, maybe it wasn’t you. Maybe I was losing my powers anyway,” she bites her lip, a terrible habit she thought she had gotten out of. “Maybe when my eye gets healed, I still won’t be able to see.”

“Is that the worst thing?” Ruby asks, with a look of surprise across her own face, as if she’s surprised she said those words. “Of everything that’s happened, that’s happening, is that the thing driving you crazy?”

Sapphire is struck by that question. There’s something about the tone she uses that seems insecure. “My future vision is my entire purpose. I don’t know who I am without it.”

Ruby nods, seeming to understand. “Right. Sorry, I guess I’ve just had very different things playing on my mind.”

“Would you like to talk about that?” 

With that, Ruby leaps to her feet, collecting her armour quickly trying her best to look anywhere but Sapphire. “Nah, y’know, it’s fine. It’s not a big deal, like at all, no need to worry about it. It’s not like it involves you or anything,” She laughs nervously. “We should hit the road.”

***

The two of them make a good team. Ruby is excellent at practical survival techniques and dealing with physical problems such as obstacles in their path. Meanwhile Sapphire, despite never having been outside her kingdom before, is quite talented at navigation and rational solutions. If the two of them need to jump across a river, but Sapphire feels incapable, Ruby will pick her up and do the leap for them both. And if Ruby ever has a sudden urge to run off after wildlife to catch and eat, Sapphire can get them back on track. 

Trees start to thin as they continue their journey, until they come to a patch of trees full of pink flowers in bloom. They must be getting close.

Just a couple of hours later they finally see the walls of the city in the distance. As they approach the city, Sapphire can’t help but think back on the journey the two have had. It took three days longer than was planned, but that wasn’t surprising considering their predicament. Other than that though, things had gone smoothly. Over time, the Princess and the squire had started to talk more freely. They would converse about their lives back within the Blue Kingdom. 

Sapphire would talk about her vigorous studies in the history of the Four Kingdoms and its magics. She wasn’t a caster herself, nor was she particularly interested in learning, but she found sorcery and its past quite fascinating. 

Ruby would talk about her upbringing. She had been training as a soldier the majority of her life, and while she enjoys it for the most part, she’s not so big on typical weapons. She much prefers to fight with her fists, which is unacceptable within the ranks of professional soldiers. She also talks about how she hasn’t seen her family since she became a page, as she was from a different city and her family couldn’t afford the trip. 

By the time the two see the gate of the Pink Kingdom, Sapphire realises that Ruby may be the only person her age that she considers herself genuinely friendly with. Too bad their roles in society would make it impossible to keep a true friendship up once they get home. But now’s not the time to think about that.

“Hey, little bumblebee friend!” Ruby laughs as she admires the flowers in a bush ahead. She’s barely been able to contain herself since their destination has been in sight. Without Sapphire there she would probably have run off to the gate. “Isn’t it so pretty, Sapphire? And the smell!” 

“It is beautiful,” Sapphire nods, but doesn’t stop to smell the roses. If she’s being honest, there’s a strong feeling of anxiety building inside her. Would the Queen’s magic work? Is there a chance this journey was for nothing? She doesn’t have time to admire the scenery, and instead focuses her energy on keeping up her calm facade. 

“When you’re all healed up we should take a day to see the sights before heading home.”

Sapphire smiles. “That’s a good idea.”

The Pink Kingdom is quite different to the Blue. It’s walls are a beautiful, thick hedge with flowers on it, and its gate is wide open and hardly guarded. The houses are much more spread out, each with a garden, and people wander the streets happily talking to their neighbours. As soon as they step inside, Sapphire feels a wave of calm unlike anything even her mother could send through her. 

“Hey, Sapphire,” Ruby says. “I can’t see the castle. Do you know where to go?”

“If my memory serves me correctly, this Kingdom is the only one without a castle. The Queen lives in something called ‘The Temple’ instead.” She hums. “We may need to ask for directions.”

“Wait, like a religious temple?” Ruby tilts her head to the side. 

“It’s based on a mythical person, but I don’t believe they worship her anymore,” Sapphire says. 

Ruby nods, then stops a nearby civilian. “Excuse me, can you point us in the direction of the Temple?”

The civilian she questions is short blonde woman who looks to be on her way to work. She looks up at the two strangers and raises and furrows her brows. “You’re not from here?”

“We’re from the Blue Kingdom. Urgent business with the queen,” Sapphire says.

“Sorry, not many outsiders tend to come here.” It’s hard to describe the directions, but I can walk you there. It’s just past my bakery.” 

“And do you know a place we can wash up before we head in?” Sapphire asks a bit more politely compared to Ruby's military approach. “We’ve been travelling for days and wish to make ourselves presentable.”

“Oh sure, there’s a bathhouse close to the Temple. Follow me!”

“Thank you, miss…?” 

“Sadie. Not a problem! My co-worker can open up shop for me,” Sadie smiles.

Along the way, Sadie points out some key points of interest. “And over there is the Boardwalk, it has all the best food places in the city. That big building over there is the theatre, it’s not used too much now but a local bard Jamie puts on some really good plays. That kid over there? His name’s Onion, don’t let him touch your coin purse. He’s a sweet kid though, really.”

They eventually make it to a place called ‘It’s a Wash’, the bath and wash house Sadie had mentioned. “And here’s your stop. Greg will take care of you, he’s a great guy. After you’re finished here, the Temple can be seen just around the corner. Good luck!”

“Thank you!” The two call out as she walks off. Ruby obviously relaxing a bit from her guardian mode. 

“Welcome, strangers!” An older looking man says as the two walk in. “My name’s Greg Universe, how can I help you?”

“Greg Universe, as in the father of Steven?” Sapphire blurts out. “I would have thought someone like you would be in the Temple.”

Greg rubs the back of his neck, apparently a bit taken aback. “Not from around here, huh? No, while I’m welcome there, the life of royalty isn’t quite for me. I much prefer the simple life. Where are you two from?”

“The Blue Kingdom, we’re here to visit your son,” Sapphire says, with Ruby at her side at full alert again. “Thought we’d best get cleaned up beforehand, we lost our supplies on the road so it’s been difficult to keep ourselves properly clean.”

“Ah, well I can get you a nice scented bath ready, and wash up those clothes for you if you’d like. Won’t be able to help with the damages to your dress though, I’m afraid.”

Sapphire looks down and notes the tears, and grimaces. “That’s alright. And thank you.”

They pay the man and spend the better part of two hours scrubbing themselves of the muck and grime of their travels. The clear, warm water Sapphire starts with turns a murky colour as she finishes working the knots out of her shoulders and pulls herself from the tub. Greg hands them back their washed clothes, which thankfully have dried quickly in the hot summer sun. 

Sapphire fixes her long blue hair, which is a bit of a mission considering the tangled mess it had become. Greg gives the two a few puffs of perfume on the house, and they’re ready to leave.

Neither of them look perfect, but they look and smell far more presentable than they did before. Maybe enough so that Sapphire could actually be recognised as royalty. 

Finding the Temple is easy. As soon as they round the corner, they find themselves staring at a half statue of a giant woman with eight arms. At her base, a surprisingly simple looking building that could only be their destination. 

“Whoa, who is that?” Ruby asks in awe. 

“You haven’t heard about the story of Obsidian?” Sapphire asks. She was taught these tales as a child. “She’s a myth that used to be popular in all Kingdoms, but I guess the Pink Kingdom never forgot. It’s a metaphor for unity and friendship, derived from the myth about how the Queens came into being.”

Sapphire’s about to start telling the story, when a guard steps in front of them. “Halt,” the woman says. She’s short and plump, but her eyes are apathetic and cold. “State your business!”

“I am Princess Sapphire of the Blue Kingdom,” The blue haired woman steps forward. “I am here seeking the aid of Queen Steven.”

The guard looks the woman over, her eyes widening. She bows with an awkward, unpracticed balance. “Ah, right this way, m’lady.” 

They are escorted up the steps and led into a room that looks much bigger on the inside than on the outside. It’s a throne room, which is odd to Sapphire, she’s much more used to these rooms being further inside the castles and with much more protection. 

A teenage girl sits on the steps leading to the throne, bandaging up calloused hands. A great sword about her size rests next to her.

“Connie, go get Steven,” the guard says.

“Huh? He’s just started his lessons…” The girl, Connie, looks up. As soon as she lays eyes on Sapphire, though, she disappears. 

It’s not long before she reappears, a short teenage boy standing beside her. His hair is rugged and brunette like his father, and he dresses in a simple tunic with a patterned pink coat overtop. A brooch adorns his coat in the shape of a star with a large pink diamond at the center. 

Sapphire and Ruby bow as Steven approaches.

“Queen Steven, thank you for gracing us with your presence,” Sapphire says. 

“You can just call me Steven!” The young boy says as he wraps her in a surprisingly tight hug. 

“Steven!” A new voice calls. “That’s Princess Sapphire, you cannot simply hug her without permission!”

Sapphire looks over to see a tall woman step from where Steven and Connie had come. She carries a tray of cups and a jug with her, and has a sword at her side. Is this a servant? With a weapon?

“Please, you can call me Sapphire.” 

Steven walks up the steps and hefts himself up to take a seat on his throne. It’s probably five times the size of him, his feet nowhere near the ground. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real royalty from outside Pink before. It’s always just been messengers.”

“Which means you should take this seriously, your highness,” the servant warns as she makes her way down to meet the Princess, offering her a drink of wine. Sapphire declines politely. “Please forgive him, he’s still learning proper etiquette. My name is Pearl, let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” Sapphire says before redirecting her attention to Steven once again. “I’m afraid I don’t come with good news,” She lifts her hair to show her eyepatch. “I was attacked and stabbed in my future seeing eye. Mother said that a healing kiss could fix it, and sent me here to ask for your help.”

“No problem! My spit hasn’t let me down in years!” Steven bounces off his throne and back down to her. “Could you please remove your eyepatch?”

She takes it off, noting the grimaces on Pearl and Connie’s faces as her wound is revealed. Steven, however, only gives her a comforting smile. Despite his odd way of things, the boy is quickly growing on her.

“Mwah!” He gives to a kiss on the wound.

Sapphire can feel the wound mending itself, the flesh all put back in the right place and skin healed perfectly. The ever present soft pain fading away. 

Ruby lets out a small gasp as she watches from the side. “It worked!”

Her chest is light as she lets out a sigh and opens her left eye.

Nothing. No future vision. No vision at all.

And just like that, her hope comes crashing down like a landslide, crushing her. “I… Maybe it just needs some time before it works.”

Steven steps back, frowning. “Yeah… Well I’ve never had to cure magical powers before. I’m sure it’ll be back soon!”

“May I offer you and your escort a place to rest for the night?” Pearl speaks up. “We only have one guest room, so we can house you here and your guard at an inn.”

“That would be perfect,”

“This way then. Amethyst, take the guard to the inn across the road. Sapphire, you can see Steven again in the morning.”

She feels bad for leaving Ruby. Really, there’s nothing more that she’d like than to have the squire comfort her. But she needs to mourn properly, without her protector’s concern. She looks back as she’s guided away, and sees Ruby and the guard, Amethyst, watch her leave. And for the first time Ruby's expression is unreadable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Which character are you most excited about from Pink Kingdom? And as always, I’d love to know what you think. Don’t be shy about leaving a comment or flicking me an ask/message on tumblr (boboboyourboat).


	6. White Walkers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven Universe Future premieres in less than a week and I’m so ready to ride the waves of inspiration that will inevitably come with new episodes.

“Listen bud, if you don’t chill out you look like you’ll explode, and I really don’t feel like putting any fires out at the moment,” Amethyst says as she passes Ruby a fresh set of clothes.

Ruby was pacing the room, fuming. She mutters something incomprehensible even to herself. To be honest, she doesn’t entirely know what she’s angry about. It started as her simply being upset for Sapphire, then it spiralled. She has a lot of emotions she hasn’t even begun to process. So many ‘what ifs’ that she hasn’t even touched upon. All just fuel to her fire.

“I’m chill, I’m so chill,” Ruby says through grinding teeth. 

“You’re going to break your own jaw,” Amethyst says. 

“I’m just going to go check on Sapphire quickly,” Ruby says as she suddenly heads towards the door. 

Amethyst puts an arm out to stop her. “Whoa there, I don’t think that’s a good idea. She’s safe where she is and probably needs some time to herself, OK? How about you come with me to the tavern? My shift’s basically over anyway.”

Rational thought isn’t something Ruby is particularly good at, especially when her mind is focused on something, so Amethyst has to drag the squire huffing and grumbling down the stairs and across the street to a tavern. 

Six rounds of ale are purchased, courtesy of Amethyst, and Ruby finds herself relaxing into a pleasant, casual conversation in a corner booth of the tavern. The dim light of candles on achandelier illuminates the small establishment, but not enough to reach the edges of the pub, leaving their corner shouded in the privacy of a shadow.

The evening light is fading quickly and more people seem to be pouring in with the day's work done. Despite the size of the city it seems like most people know each other here. The soft murmur of greetings and polite conversations slowly turns to happy cheers and loud laughter. 

“Nice armour you got there, why’s it red though?” Amethyst asks.

“Only Knights wear blue. Because I’m a squire I can wear whatever colours really.”

“Why’s a squire escorting a Princess?” Amethyst leans on the table. 

“We left with five Knights. But something, or maybe someone, happened to them on the way here and I was all that was left, so I had to guard her alone most of the journey,” Ruby finishes her drink with sour expression. She hasn't thought much about that night with so much going on, she didn't have the time. But now? Now that she can finally relax a little, she doesn't really want to think about it. Her head was already starting to spin a bit. She’s a bit of a light weight, which can get pretty dangerous with her competitive nature. “How about you, what do you do?” 

“I’m just a guard. Connie’s the only Knight here besides Pearl, if you can even count her. I stick around the temple ‘cause I’m Steven’s favourite, and it pisses Pearl off,” Amethyst says with a grin, signalling the bartender for another round. “I’m pretty lucky I guess, most people consider me a runt from the slums, but Steven adores me. Don’t know what I did to deserve the little guy.”

“I feel the same about Sapphire,” Ruby nods. “Despite the fact that I’m just a squire, she’s been really good to me. She’s like, talked to me the way friends do, and is really kind, and she cuddles me when she sleeps!” 

Amethyst’s eyes go wide. “Oh no, Ru. You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”

“Huh?” Ruby takes a sip of ale, ignoring the nickname.

“I saw hearts in your eyes, dude. You’re totally crushing on the Princess!” 

Ruby almost chokes on her drink. “W-what? No, I’m just a squire! Queen Blue would have my head if I fancied Sapphire. There is absolutely no way at all I am attracted to the Princess, even if she is really beautiful and kind and smells really good. No way at all!”

“You’re not very good at lying,” Amethyst laughs. “Ah, I’m sorry, Ruby-Ru, that’s rough. I know how it feels liking someone unattainable, it hurts. You’ll get through it though.”

Ruby stares into the froth of her drink. Those aren't exactly the words of reassurance she needs.

“I know we can’t be together, but sometimes I feel like she likes me back,” Ruby says quietly.

“It’s harsh, but you can’t let yourself fall into that trap.” Amethyst says, giving Ruby a reassuring punch to the shoulder. “Don’t do something stupid like confess your feelings, OK? That’ll just backfire. Trust me, I know, I went through that. Don’t mess with the social hierarchy. You’ll find someone you can be with soon.”

“Have you found someone?” 

Instead of answering the question, Amethyst ignores it altogether and waves the bartender over again and orders a round of the strongest drinks. “Alright, enough angsting, time for a drinking contest.”

“Oh, you’re on,” Ruby says, tossing all her emotions to the side at the mention of a competition.

“Warning you now, I have an iron stomach.”

***

The sun is already well up by the time Ruby wakes and cracks open the window. Groggy and disoriented, she throws on her fresh tabard and fixes her ribbon around her head. She splashes herself with fresh water and slaps her face a few times, trying to beat the hangover out of her. 

Jogging up the steps to the Temple, she sees Amethyst leaning against the wall. 

“Rough morning?” She laughs in greeting.

Ruby grumbles in response. 

“Aw, come on, just ‘cause you lost doesn’t mean you need to be a sore loser.”

Ruby ignores her retort, it’s not like she can remember the second half of the night well anyway. So who knows if she even lost, maybe Amethyst is bluffing. Cheered up by the thought she enters the Temple and finds Sapphire, Steven, Connie and Pearl inside. They are in the middle of conversing. The squire stands at attention at the entrance, not wanting to disturb. 

“I’m sorry it didn’t work, Sapphire,” Steven says with his head lowered. “If there’s anything else I can do-“

“That’s OK, Steven,” Sapphire says with a smile. Ruby notes that it’s forced. “My companion and I will leave today. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Can we offer you some supplies?” Pearl asks. “We can provide you with rations and camping equipment to make your journey home more comfortable. We’d offer some horses, but we can’t afford to lose any on a one way journey.”

“Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.”

As Pearl turns to collect the gear, Connie in tow, Sapphire turns to greet Ruby.

“Sorry for being late, Princess Sapphire,” Ruby says. 

“It’s OK, I imagine you were quite tired after our journey.”

“Yep,” Ruby squeaks. Nailed that lie. 

Sapphire smirks. “Are you ready to head home?”

“Of course, I’m ready whenever you are.”

Pearl and Connie return with a backpack full of supplies, and hands it to Ruby. It’s weighty, but she can manage.

Steven gives Sapphire a hug. “It was really good to meet you! You should come visit sometime for a holiday, we’d love to have you. And you, Sapphire’s Knight!”

“That’s a squire, Steven,” Pearl says with a cough. “But yes, you’re welcome also.”

“Thanks,” Ruby says with a blush. 

They say their goodbyes, and head back south.

***

Awkward silence hangs over the two as they make their way out the gate. Ruby isn’t sure if she should say anything. Would an “I’m sorry?” even help right now?

Sapphire stares dead ahead, not even sparing a glance towards the flowers. Ruby walks with her head lowered, weighed down by her thoughts. At least the hangover wasn’t too much. 

Eventually, the thoughts spill out of her in verbal form. “You know you’re more than just your future vision, right?” She doesn’t realise she’s said it until she notices Sapphire has stopped to look at her. Oh boy. But she turns on her heel, ready to keep digging this grave. “I know that you believe it’s your purpose, and maybe it was, but there’s so much more to you than that. I was scared that you’d be how everyone describes royals, y’know? But you’re super smart and kind and level headed. You are amazing and can still be an asset to the kingdom even without your powers, just in a different way!”

Sapphire looks dumbstruck, just staring at Ruby. “I…” She begins, then her head shifts slightly, looking past the squire. Her face pales. “Ruby…”

“W-” Ruby begins as she checks over her shoulder. Maybe a piece of armour is out of place?

But her eyes catch something at the edge of the forest in front of them. Five white figures approaching. 

“Is that...?” Ruby begins. 

“The Knights,” Sapphire finishes. “They look like the person who attacked me. But they’re all… White.”

“Do you think they’ll remember who we are? Maybe we can get them to a physician.” 

“I don’t know, Ruby. I don’t like this.”

“Hey guys!” Ruby shouts at the group. “It’s Ruby and Sapphire! Do you remember us?” 

Apparently making themselves known isn’t such a good idea, as the group starts charging for the duo with an eerie and unfamiliar air about them.

“Guess not,” Ruby says with a cringe, then turns to her charge. “Sapphire, run back to Pink and ask Steven for a bigger, stronger force to escort you home. I’ll buy you time. Something’s going on here.”

“You’re going to fight them all alone?” Sapphire’s body stiffens. 

“Well, I’m gonna try talk to them first, but if I have to, yes,” The squire pushes the princess away. “Now run.”

Sapphire obeys, reluctantly and shakily stepping away, hand gripping tight at the hilt of the sword her guard gave her. 

“It was an honour to know you, Sapphire,” Ruby says holding back tears watching her charge run towards safety. She looks at her Princess one last time, letting the genuine affection she has for Sapphire fuel her before her final stand.

Footsteps draw closer and Ruby turns to face her former companions turned… something else. As she gets into her stance, she takes a moment to formulate a strategy. 

Doc and Eyeball are the only ones that still appears to have their sword, the rest of them carry nothing. This is good, the only person she’s ever struggled against in a fist brawl was Army, but the fact that it’s five versus one doesn’t give her much comfort. 

There’s a distant look in the eyes of her past comrades, as if they’re not even there at all. Ruby has to wonder how much of an impact that could have on their strategy.

“If you’re friendly, stop running, or I will fight you,” Ruby warns. They don’t appear to listen.

The five spread out, coming in on a straight line. Doc holds the center, with Army and Eyeball on the left, and Navy and Leggy on the right. She needs to step to one side, to avoid being immediately surrounded, but that could risk some slipping past and getting to Sapphire.

“Alright, fuckers, come with me!” Ruby calls, waving her arms as she runs towards the bush, still facing her attackers. Thankfully, they all seem to follow her, so she whirls around and runs. She dashes into the forest. The vegetation at the edge provides ample cover and she breaks the line of sight as soon as she enters.

Leggy is the first one to cross into the bush after her, immediately halting to look around, her target nowhere in sight. She’s struck down from a blow to the head, something solid hitting her from the tree above.

The unconscious body causes Navy to trip over, giving Ruby the perfect opportunity to leap from her perch in the tree and drive an elbow between revealed shoulder blades. She _ should _be making a sound of pain, the crunching of bones making even Ruby cringe, but the Knight barely sounds winded.

Doc barely has a chance to step into the cover of trees before Ruby hurles Navy towards the leader, causing them to both clatter out of sight. Doc wouldn’t be done, but that buys her a few seconds. 

Ruby has hardly any time to recover before Eyeball charges towards her from behind a tree, sword at the ready to drive straight through her.

_ OK, they are definitely trying to kill me, _Ruby thinks.

She dives to the side, but Eyeball is ready and turns the jab into a swing, closely missing the gap in Ruby’s armour. Ruby halts against a tree, ready to bounce back and throw a punch, but not before the Knight can thrust the sword again making her dodge instead. She dives to the side just in time, causing the blade to catch in the tree momentarily. 

Using the seconds it takes the Knight to yank her weapon out of its prison of bark, she lands a solid punch to her former superior’s throat, causing them to let go of their grip and take a few steps back, the sword clatters to the ground. 

Ruby takes this moment to wipe the sweat off her brow before sending Eyeball back into another tree with a powerful open hand strike into the chin followed by a sickening crack.

Without warning another Knight tackles Ruby to the ground before she can even register their presence, causing Rubyto lose her breath as they hit the forest floor with Army on top. The Knight lands a punch, causing Ruby’s head to spin, but knowing her opponent’s attacks are usually powerful but slow, she covers her head and forces herself to roll out from under her opponent making them lose balance. 

As they both struggle to their feet, Ruby stumbles across the roots of the trees to grab a hold of the sword still on the ground, but not before a sharp pain erupts in her right shoulder. Doc’s blade has sunken into her flesh, hitting a gap in her armour and piercing the padding beneath with practiced precision. 

She falls into the tree, assisted by a kick to the back of her knees, and the blade is pulled out roughly, sending another wave of sharp pain through her body.

Ruby knows she’s about to die. The fact that she managed to knock down three of them temporarily was victory enough on its own. But damned if she’s going to go down without kicking and screaming, pouring every last ounce of energy into protecting Sapphire.

She rolls to her left, ignoring the searing pain pulsing in her veins begging for her to surrender, and swipes her sword at Army who is charging towards her again. The cut to their palm doesn’t do much to slow them down though, and she’s simply grabbed by the neck with a bloody hand. 

As she’s pushed down, she manoeuvres as best she can. “I’m sorry, Army,” she croaks as she thrusts the sword into her enemy’s gut. Army goes limp and Ruby pushes her to the side.

A deep cut to the cheek brings her attention back to Doc, who is standing above her. With a kick to the side and a boot on the chest, Ruby’s pressed down into the ground, sending a shockwave through her body as her wound is knocked. 

Doc stands over her, sword pressing against her neck, and a distant stare. The Knight doesn’t seem to even second guess herself as she raises her blade, ready to deliver the final blow. 

Ruby exhales, acceptance washing over her. This may be her final moment, but at least she gave Sapphire enough time to get away. She will die doing her duty.

But then the body towering over her falters, her sword falling to the ground leaving just a small wound behind. A blade now protrudes out of Doc’s chest. Ruby’s mouth is agape as the Knight falls lifeless, and Sapphire stands over them. 

Sapphire’s hands are shaky as she drops to her knees, crawling to Ruby’s side and pulling her into a tight hug. It hurts, but that doesn’t matter. 

“I- I told you to run,” Ruby says dumbly. 

“I couldn’t let you die,” Sapphire sobs.

“Why? I’m just a squire. Dying for you is my duty.”

“You’re more than just your job, Ruby,” Sapphire says, tilting Ruby's chin up so they can look at each other. Ruby has never seen Sapphire let her guard down like this before, her eyes wide and honest. “I see you as so much more.”

Ruby doesn’t realise she’s going to kiss Sapphire until their lips are already pressed together. The feeling of Sapphire in her arms strikes her like lightning, a new kind of energy coursing through her, making every inch of her tingle. The salty taste of tears making it bittersweet. 

She pulls away suddenly, realising what she’s doing. “Ah! Sorry, Princess, you probably don’t mean-“

She’s silenced by another kiss, this one deeper but slower, warmer. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m just glad you are alive. Now, let’s get you back to Pink to fix you up.”

Ruby nods, dumbstruck, and accepts Sapphire’s hand in getting up. They begin to walk back, the two women leaning against each other for support, but as they’re about to step into the sun Sapphire freezes, hand shooting to her head.

“Sapphire, what’s wrong?” Ruby asks, grasping the Princess by her shoulders.

“I-I can see again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve never written a full fledged fight scene quite like this, so I’d love to hear any feedback regarding it, and the rest of the story. 
> 
> Shout out to thegayraccoon on tumblr for their amazing work editing this one. 
> 
> And as always, thanks for reading!


	7. Possibilities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven Universe Future has been premiered and it has my entire heart and soul. If anyone needs someone to theorise with or just scream at about the show, feel free to send me a message on tumblr at boboboyourboat.

As Sapphire changes eyes, a familiar flash of light consumes her vision. Familiar, but different. Instead of seeing her future paved out for her, a precise course of action, she sees snippets of hundreds of different futures. They’re confusing and jumbled, some completely ridiculous and differing greatly based on the slightest choice. Some even look incomplete, centered around Ruby. She’s a giant question mark, a realm of infinite possibilities.

There’s too much for her to take in, and they all swirl around in her head like a kaleidoscope until she shuts her eye once more.

Her head hurts and her ears buzz, but she vaguely makes out the sound of Ruby asking if she’s OK. “I-I can see again,” Is all she can manage in reply.

Her head feels heavy, but she needs to keep going. Ruby is hurt, and in most scenarios where they stick around here for too long, bad things happen. She presses forward as they talk.

“It’s different to before, it’s like,” Sapphire pauses, thinking. She had always considered the future to be set in stone, and that living her life was like turning the page of a book that’s already been written. But this… “It’s like we have a choice.”

“What do you mean? We’ve always had a choice,” Ruby says.

“Before there was only one future, and every choice we made was already picked out for us in advance. But now, it’s like our choices matter,” The thought is terrifying in a way, she has always lived her life as if there was one true purpose, the idea that even the tiniest of actions could change everything, that’s terrifying. “Maybe… Maybe it’s just playing up. I should try again later.”

Ruby nods, internalising it herself. She’s sweating and covered in blood, and probably can only take so much right now. The two should concentrate on getting back to safety for now, they can talk about this later. 

That doesn’t stop Sapphire from her racing thoughts though. She has so many questions. Is this permanent? Has the future always been like this? What changed? And how was the power brought back to her, did Steven’s magic kick in late, or was it Ruby’s kiss? If it was Ruby’s kiss, what does that mean? 

She’s so absorbed in her own thoughts that she doesn’t notice she’s standing at the Pink City gates until Ruby’s taken from her grasp. The guard they had met the previous day was scooping Ruby into her arms. 

“You OK to walk, Princess?” Amethyst asks. 

She simply nods, and the guard guides her through the city streets. Curious onlookers watch as they push through the crowd towards the Temple. “Move, people!” Amethyst shouts.

As they reach the Temple, Steven is watching Connie and Pearl training from his throne. 

“Again,” Pearl says, and the two women reset their stances. 

As Connie’s about to make her attack, she notices the three women approaching and drops her sword to go to Amethyst’s side. “Whoa, what happened?”

Pearl lowers her guard and spins around, immediately taking action as she realises the situation. “I’ll be right back with some water.”

Amethyst lays Ruby down, the squire now a mess of blood, sweat and tears. She’s barely holding on to consciousness at this point, but she’s fighting her drooping eyelids to force them to stay open. Sapphire drops to her knees at one side, and Steven at the other. 

“This might feel a little weird,” The Queen warns before spitting in his palm and holding it to Ruby’s gaping shoulder wound. 

She winces at first, the touch probably overwhelming her, but the wound quickly begins to mend, flesh and skin knitting back together to leave her good as new beneath the dried blood. As the pain relieves, Ruby’s eyes shut and she falls unconscious.

Steven sighs, then leans down and presses a kiss to the sleeping Ruby’s cut cheek, which heals without issue. “She’ll be OK, but she lost a lot of blood. She needs to rest,” Steven says, turning his attention to Sapphire. “Are you wounded?”

“Just a little tired myself. Thank you, Steven,” Sapphire smiles. “Is there any chance we can rest here for a day or two before setting out again?”

Pearl returns then with a jug of water and a cup, which she pours and hands to Sapphire. The Princess downs the cool liquid in a few large gulps, surprised by just how thirsty she is as relief hits her dry throat.

“Of course, stay as long as you need,” Steven grins.

“Would you like your previous arrangement set up?” Pearl asks.

“We can both stay in the guest quarters here, if that’s OK. I would like to keep her close.”

***

Now that Ruby is tucked up in bed, Sapphire has time to let herself think. She takes a seat at the base of the queen sized bed and sighs, readying herself. 

She shuts her right eye and opens her left, and is taken once again by the sheer number of possible futures. They go by fast, blurring together and creating dancing, almost dizzying, lights. It’s overwhelming, so she slams her eye shut, and takes comfort in the darkness behind her eyelids. 

_ So there’s still numerous possibilities,  _ she thinks to herself.  _ I wonder if I can focus on a single path. _

She opens her eye again, this time focusing a question;  _ what will happen if I do nothing? _ A picture forms, her sitting still in this room, and Ruby unmoving. She asks another question;  _ what will happen if I poke Ruby in the cheek.  _ A vision comes into focus, of Ruby groaning softly and turning to her side. 

It’s small, but she may as well test if it holds any sort of accuracy. She stands, walks to Ruby’s side and pokes her cheek. The girl groans softly and turns to her side, exactly how she has seen it.

Sapphire hums. This could have been a simple coincidence, she’ll need to try something bigger. 

***

After a bath and a change of clothes, a beautiful blue dress that Pearl managed to acquire, she heads for the marketplace. Connie leads her, insisting on showing the Princess around while she collects some items for Steven and Pearl.

“So, are you looking for anything in particular?” Connie asks as she weaves through the crowd. 

“I would like to get Ruby a gift, but I’m unsure of what she would appreciate,” Sapphire says, eyeing the different stores. There are a lot of nice smelling food stands, and Sapphire is sure that Ruby would appreciate any food, but that wasn’t quite big enough. 

“Hmmm,” Connie considers, tapping her finger on her chin as she looks around. “How about jewelry?”

They head to the jewelry store and look around. There are some nice looking items in here, necklaces, rings and circlets with all sorts of gemstones and etchings. Most of the jewels are pink, but they manage to find a necklace with a ruby in it. 

“Maybe she’d like that? I mean, Ruby is her name,” Connie says.

Sapphire opens her left eye, focusing on the future in which she gifts this to Ruby. As soon as it’s unwrapped, it’s unclear.  _ Why is it uncertain? Will it be unclear for everything?  _ “Hmmm, maybe we could come back to that one.”

“Whoa, did you just use your future vision?” Connie asks. “So Steven’s magic worked?”

“Yes, I did. Although I’m not sure if it was Steven.”

“What do you mean?” Connie asks, but Sapphire doesn’t respond. 

A beautiful sapphire ring is on display, which immediately takes her eye.  _ Maybe I could give her this as a symbol of my eternal gratitude?  _ She thinks.  Switching visions, she focuses on that future. This one doesn’t falter when Ruby opens the gift, and instead shows a confused, flustered and overwhelmed Ruby essentially malfunctioning, followed by a very awkward conversation as Sapphire attempts to explain herself. Maybe not this one either.

“I don’t think jewelry is the best option,” Sapphire concludes. 

“OK, what about some fancy clothes? Or an engraved tankard? Or a horse” Connie starts listing as she points to the stores they pass. 

None of these sound quite like what Sapphire’s after. She wants something that’ll get a clear reaction out of Ruby, but not anything that’ll cause an awkward interaction. 

A bard plays a mellow tune on his lute as the two walk past. He sits cross legged on a bench, eyes shut and completely absorbed in his music. In front of him is an upside down hat, its insides sprinkled with bronze and silver pieces.

Sapphire takes a moment to consider the possible futures if she were to interact with this man. He looks dramatic, perhaps a clear reaction could prove her future vision.

In one future, she gives him a gold piece. He doesn’t look at her, simply giving a smile and a nod while he continues playing. Not quite a big enough reaction. 

Another future sees her complimenting his playing. In this scenario, the man opens his eyes to get a look at her, and his music stops. He seems completely shocked by Sapphire’s appearance. Immediately, he leaps into a new song. “When I saw you rise like an ancient sea nymph, a white hot steel pierced the deepest artery of my being…” Nope, too much.

The last she checks is a future in which she dumps a handful of coins, rushing off before the man can open his eyes and see her face. In this scenario, he calls out a thank you before changing his song to a much happier tune. This one seems appropriate.

She doesn’t quite know if it’s comforting or terrifying when it goes exactly as she saw it. 

“I’ve just got to pick up some gear from Bismuth, would you like to join me?” Connie says as she signals to the store they’re at. It’s titled “Bismuth’s Blacksmithing: In the Bismuth for some metalwork?” 

Sapphire follows her in, and is struck by the sudden change of atmosphere. The air here is thick and burns her nostrils with the stench of molten iron and coal. There’s a consistent clang of an anvil as a large woman with braided hair lands heavy hit after heavy hit against the metal she’s shaping. She lowers her gear as she sees Connie enter, and wipes her brow.

“Connie! Good to see you,” she says with a grin. “Ready to check out your new sword?”

Sapphire scans the walls of the store with her right eye, letting the conversation fade out. Blades, shields and arrows take up most of the walls, but there’s a corner in the shop dedicated to weapons that she doesn’t often see people use. Whips, flails, halberds, and something that makes her stop in her tracks. 

Red leather gauntlets with metal spikes in the knuckles are displayed on a shelf collecting dust. It has a gem socket on the back of it, an uncommon addition usually saved for weapons of knights in the case of war so that it can be imbued with magic. 

She switches eyes once again, focusing on a future where she gifts this to her warrior. This one is clear, Ruby’s eyes going wide as she admires the gift and saying “Thank you, this is amazing! There’s only one thing that could possibly make this any better. Wouldn’t it be cool if I had a whole set of armour to match?”

Perfect.

***

With her future vision apparently working, Sapphire can time her arrival back to her and Ruby’s room perfectly in relation to when Ruby wakes up. That leaves her with enough time to wrap her gift, settle her mind and sit with Steven to watch Connie and Pearl sparring. For the first time since the attack in her bedroom, she feels relaxed. 

Steven is an excellent host, and the two of them talk about their experiences of royalty, conversing as if they were lifelong friends. 

“And it’s like, all I want to do is help people, you know?” Steven says. “But pearl says that if I use my powers to heal everyone then I’ll be overwhelmed with people coming in with simple grazes and stuff. And maybe people will start getting hurt just so they can see me. But it feels so bad turning people away!”

“I understand,” Sapphire nods. “I’ve always wanted to help people, but I was told to follow the guide of my sight, not a step out of place. I didn’t actually think I could defy my vision. But now…” Sapphire’s stomach soars at the idea of such possibilities. “I guess now I can change things.”

Steven grins at her. She has explained the return and change of her abilities, passing up on the details of how that happened. “I’m so happy for you! The power of choice is our greatest weapon.” Despite the boy’s age and silly manners, he sure is wise.

“Thanks, Steven. I should get going now, Ruby’s about to wake up. Have a good evening.”

She walks into the room just as Ruby begins to stir, and sits down at the seat beside her. “How are you feeling?” She smiles at the squire as she turns to her. 

Her eyes are lidded and she’s wrapped tightly in the sheets. “I’ve never been so comfortable,” She mumbles, stretching with a yawn. “I don't ever want to leave.”

Sapphire giggles, brushing a strand of Ruby’s hair that’s fallen out of place. It’s a small gesture, but she feels a rush of energy as they make contact, and suddenly realises she never wants to let go. Large, bold words flash in her head -  **true love’s kiss ** \- and she can’t help but feel like that’s the answer to all her questions. It’s crazy how that all just makes sense to her in that one instance. That’s what her mum had meant by a healing kiss, and that’s why she’s feeling this way about her protector. It should be scary, they would never be allowed to be together after all, but when she has Ruby so close she can’t see the walls that were built to keep them apart. Nothing matters, only the two of them.

“Are you OK?” Ruby says, breaking Sapphire’s chain of thought. She had been cupping the woman’s cheek and staring. 

“I am,” Sapphire replies with a smile. It’s not entirely true, though. While the idea fills her with such warmth and comfort, there’s an edge of fear. Queen Blue would never accept the love between her and a squire.

She leans down and kisses Ruby on the forehead, pushing her thoughts to the side to just enjoy this moment. The simple act made Ruby melt into her. They rest foreheads together, just taking each other in. Sapphire loves the way Ruby radiates warmth, her shaky breath dances against her skin, and her genuine smile sends heat through her body like lightning. It’s so tempting to just crawl into bed, hold her close and just let time pass them by. Duties be damned. She doesn’t need anything else.

“I got you a gift,” Sapphire says as she leans away, finally finding the strength to resist the magnetic pull between them. 

“You got  _ me  _ a gift?” Ruby clarifies. “W-why?”

“To thank you for everything.”

She takes a box from the base of the bed, which is neatly tied with red and blue bows. Ruby takes it hesitantly, looking up at Sapphire as if waiting to be told it’s all a joke. Sapphire nods to the box, and Ruby’s eyes shine like stars. 

Ruby has an ungraceful way of going about opening the box. She pulls at the ribbon, snapping it and tossing it to the side. One part seems to be particularly troublesome, so she bites into it. “Why are there so many ribbons?” She mumbles, struggling with the last of it. 

Sapphire laughs as she takes the end of the decoration and pulling it, causing the bow to come undone, and the ribbon to fall. She can’t help but grin at Ruby. The child-like joy and fussing is endearing. Her mother would have a heart attack if she ever found out that this was the person she was developing feelings for. A week ago, she would hardly have believed it herself. But there’s something about her chaotic nature that’s just so enthralling.

The lid of the box gets thrown across the room, and Ruby lets out an excited squeal. She takes the gauntlet delicately in her hands, taking in every tiny detail as she turns it over in her hands. “Thank you, this is amazing! There’s only one thing that could possibly make this any better,” She says as she slips it on.

“A matching set of armour?”

“Y-yeah, how did you know I was gonna say that?” 

“I had a little help,” Sapphire points to her left eye. 

Ruby grins. “Steven’s magic worked then! It’s not acting up?”

“No, it’s working fine. It’s different, but it certainly works. I don’t think it was Steven that fixed it, though.”

“What do you mean?”

Sapphire fidgets. Usually she hides her emotions well, but intimacy and vulnerability are new to her. “Do you love me?”

Ruby goes red, and turns into a stuttering mess. “I-Wha? O-Of course not, that-that’s not allowed. I mean I like you a lot, like as more than just my charge, cause you’re super nice and good and pr- uhhh, pr-practiced?” Ruby takes in a gulp of air

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Sapphire smirks. 

“That-That’s fair…” Ruby blushes. “I’m sorry, I know we haven’t known each other for a long time, I was scared that using that word would be too much.”

“I don’t think it could be too much,” Sapphire grabs Ruby’s hand with both of hers. “I think mother interpreted the information wrong. The kiss she was referring to was a true love’s kiss.”

If Ruby wasn’t red before, she sure is now. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to love you! It kinda just happened.”

“Why would you apologise for such a thing? I feel the same way and… Well it healed me, didn’t it?” Sapphire brings Ruby in for a hug. “I know it’s a lot, but we’ll figure this out. Together, OK?”

Ruby nods into her shoulder, clinging to her tight. 

“By the way, I’ve commissioned some armour for you. Leather, red, and perfect for fighting with your fists,” Sapphire runs her fingers through Ruby’s messy hair. The squire probably would have hit her head on the ceiling leaping with excitement if it wasn’t for that.

“You’re the best, Sapph,” Ruby says, lifting the princess from her seat and placing her on the bed. Sapphire’s not sure which part of that made her heart throb, the nickname, the physical contact or the fact that Ruby didn't seem to have the slightest problem picking her up, like she weighed less than a feather. It’s her turn to blush.

They snuggle together for hours, fingers interlaced and legs tangled, as they chat happily. Sapphire recounts her day, Ruby talks about her night, and they make plans to explore the city before returning home. Connie had told her about a fountain with a statue of the previous Pink Queen in the center which is supposed to be stunning, and there’s a spot in the forest called the ‘warp pad’ which is a circle of flowers that are said to be a portal to the realm of the fairies. They’d need to stick around a little bit for the armour to be finished anyway.

After a while, their conversation inevitably turns to home. 

“I wonder if anything exciting has happened while we’ve been gone,” Ruby thinks. “The big tournament is coming up in a day or two, everyone’s probably started the festivities. I’m glad I wasn’t there to deal with the drunkards.”

“Maybe I can check?” Sapphire says, pulling her little spoon closer. “I probably can only check on what I’ll see when we get back, but I’m a little curious.”

“Oh, yeah! Try that.”

She switches visions, and focuses on the moment the two will arrive back in their home kingdom. 

Grey skies. Buildings turned to rubble. The city abandoned. 

She gasps, bringing herself back to the present. 

‘What’s wrong?” Ruby says, turning around to cradle her face.

“No, no, no, no,” Sapphire keeps repeating as she switches eyes again.

_ What if we leave right now?  _ Smoke. Buildings on fire. The city abandoned.  _ What if we don’t rest?”  _ The same. She asks the future a thousand different ‘what ifs’, and they all turn out the same.

“Something’s wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that chapter! As always, feel free to leave some feedback =)


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